Posts Tagged ‘racism

27
Nov
24

Representation Overkill Causes Nausea

By writingbolt Leave a Comment
Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
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****

News at 11!

Or, whatever.

I’ve had enough! I am quite sick of everyone on TV (and I’m sure other forms of media) having to represent something while putting their face or voice “out there.”

You may be “black” or “Muslim” or have some missing body part that makes you special. Maybe you’re gay and recently decided to advertise this discovery, as if you found King Tut’s tomb. Whatever the case may be, you cannot just do anything caught on camera without representing SOMETHING. Some cause needs to rally around your actions to sponsor or, at least, pressure to sponsor you. Every face spotted in a public place or televised program must MATTER somehow.

Are we all NASCAR racecars in need of multiple decals applied to our appearances? Isn’t spotlighting someone for being black or handicapped as bad as mistreating them for the same reason? I’d say so.

Oh, Mr. Writingbolt. You have a big head. What does this thing you are doing mean to all the other big heads in the world? How does it feel to be a big-headed person in this event? [Why don’t you just take a picture and plaster my big head on your billboard while you’re at it, you thoughtless jerks. Better yet; start a charity for big-headed people and ask me to be the spokesperson, so I can annoy people with incessant ads while they’re trying to unwind from their day.]

If you don’t represent, you don’t matter…UNLESS you are the poster boy or girl for some branch of the Disney Empire…then you’re straight. You’re okay. You can skip the representation line. In fact, it’s best if you don’t represent anything and can be molded into whatever role they’re willing to give you. If Disney says you’re going to be a penguin, you be the best damn penguin you can be and remain the same for eighty years. Okay? And, don’t you dare be caught on camera as anything or anyone else.

[Some would say the opposite of the above is true, regarding Disney. You might say they are all about representing something bigger than an individual’s effort/achievement. And, I wouldn’t say you are wrong. But, there is a strange sort of “molding” in the world of Disney that is racist, sexist and/or pressurized. If you are approved by Disney to be part of their world, just about anything you do will be heralded and applauded. You cannot lose if Disney approves you. And, the more ground and resources Disney acquires, the more they can approve and manipulate. Once you lose or abandon that approval, you go into witness protection (so to speak); you disappear and, probably, keep your mouth shut if you don’t want trouble.]

My stomach cannot remain calm. I’ve seen far too many bleached teeth, BOTOX’d faces and staged dramatic scenes befitting some show bent on pairing people together while too often failing to do just that.

—–

Spontaneous detour…

Meanwhile, I see someone, who’s generally pretty, flashing a shine on their cheeks and/or their forehead…maybe a little cleavage, too. And, I want to scream. I know how I don’t like to look at myself in the mirror, anymore. But, if I have to resort to THAT, to treating my face like a clay pot with cracks in it, any confidence I claim to take from it will never be genuine. It’s fraud that’s so apparent, you don’t have to “represent” it.

If I looked like that, I’d be cracking on the inside, anyway. My calm would be as fragile as tissue paper (as if it’s not already). I might as well slather myself in mayo…because, you know, every “helpful” cream out there has to be as white as bird poop. Am I hiding something? Am I repairing myself? No; what gave you that idea? What? You can SEE the stuff on my skin? The size of my head doesn’t suit the rest of my body after taking weight-management drugs? You mean I don’t look fit and trim when I’m obviously uncomfortable in my own natural body?

How do you address someone who is obviously paranoid about every little line on their face (yet unable to do anything about moles)? How do you convince them that they don’t have to look plastic to be accepted for who they are? It’s not any easier with so many ads for toothpaste and the same dentist/dental assistant ready to put you in the spotlight for being “less than white.”

This sort of vain behavior is the collateral damage, the side effect, the aftershock of excess representation (and soooo many accolades, so many trophies).

You can treat your body like a plastic toy. But, soon enough, you’ll sacrifice your mind and soul, too, just to forget what you did to yourself out of vanity overload.

Now, I’m not saying you cannot “have work done” if it genuinely helps you feel better on a daily basis. If it helps you look in the mirror with comfort, have at it. If it allows your clothes to rest comfortably against your skin without an annoying burning or itchy feeling, that’s good. If you can remove a bothersome mole or outbreak of spots that make you look like you’ve been hit with a plague, I approve.

On the other hand, if you think you can plaster wrinkles the rest of your life, you’re crazy. There comes a point when the human body simply unrolls something in response to your chosen lifestyle. And then there is aging. We all have to age someday…as far as I know.

But, DO NOT attempt repairs if you must be on camera “the next day.” You might as well have your clothes on the floor. I suspect this is why some actors and actresses must learn to put up with things like crowded teeth; the alternative would be more detrimental to their career, especially if they “have to always be on.”

If this “work” leaves you looking like an art project gone wrong…I’ve got nothing positive to say. It’s tragic (what you did). I’m pretty sure the right people–as I’m often told–would accept you, wrinkles, spots and all.

[I haven’t exactly found those people, yet. So, I could be wrong. But, I’m still bothered by the excessive and obvious evidence of vain reconstruction.]

I know a few celebrities who actually look good with wrinkles and gray hair; they aged well. And, even if they don’t, how can we be heartless and treat them as anything other than human (like ourselves)? I don’t necessarily approve of everyone who “embraces the gray” and changes everything to be “platinum,” including their wardrobe. But, some “grayheads” look good. The others simply don’t need me or anyone to evaluate them.

—–

Back to the matter of excessive and canned representation…

If I hear one more person ask, “What does (what you recently did on camera) mean to you (as a representative of ___)?

It means everything to you. The experience is amazing and unbelievable. You are so fortunate. [And, you recite this more than once, whenever you are hit with the same tired, abused questions, as if you have to sell the show, so others will submit to its deception and feed the monster.]

…I don’t even want to say it. But, I’m ill.

—–

I’m going to pause, again, to give a response from my own gut. I don’t care what televised thing I am doing. Even if it actually alters my lifestyle, my personal world and space, in some way that makes me feel life just got better, it does NOT “mean everything to me,” no matter how dazzling it may seem. I could win the billion-dollar lottery and still find myself facing the same daily struggles when the money runs out (if I don’t invest wisely).

I don’t think anything should hold the value of “everything” because that would make it lethal. Your life means everything to you…or you die. A few weeks with a televised contest of a very staged fashion should not impact whether you live or die. Those trite expressions really annoy me. They are a loss of your common sense, submitting to emotional overload. Some would call this dramatizing, the equivalent of throwing a fit about this being “the worst day ever.”

Are we honestly supposed to believe every person who recites the above lines is being genuine? Everyone of them has had the “everything” experience from being part of this show? I highly doubt that. So, why say it?

If anyone is saying something just to respond to a microphone in their face, to appease the snoop, I’m going to get agitated. If it was a great experience for you, say so, but don’t exaggerate to the extent that you make it sound like everyone should do what you did. Odds are they won’t get the chance; so don’t deceive or tease them. Just speak for yourself (and say you had a good time).

And, if you want me to say the above lines, I will not respect you. If you threaten me to say those lines, I will probably comply and then avoid you like the plague for the rest of my days, regretting the trap I entered. I will speak unkindly (to say the least) of you whenever possible. I will NOT be coming back to watch others play your game. And, I will not tell others to play along.

—–

How is anyone supposed to feel “normal” or comfortable with anything they do if it has to be put in the form of a term-paper Q-and-A?

What makes matters even worse (on top of nauseating) is when what someone “represents” is tainted with falsehood, when something like charity is just a wholesome cover for something questionable. Imagine someone who is being promoted as the poster man or woman for a new movie while secretly participating in sexual assault or financial fraud. Imagine a charity that’s just an excuse for a tax write-off (evasion) or cover for a measly paycheck on some game show. And, we never know until someone decides to take that person to court; that seems to be the status quo for exposing a lie.

When the truth comes out…if it ever truly comes out…there’s often no coming back from it. They’re marked. [Yet, some famous faces have a remarkable way of redeeming themselves in whatever way they can. Some buy their way out of legal action. I don’t necessarily accept that redemption. But, others seem to give it a stamp of approval.]

When do we get out of the classroom, out of the spotlight or off the podium? When does a “celebrity” get to just be the person they were named instead of the face of something on a poster? No wonder we can’t be okay with a little weight gain or flawed skin. Every time we see someone “famous,” they have to be…perfectly okay with everything. If they’re having a bad day or craving something that’s not family-channel approved, there must be something wrong with them; they need “help.” [And, that isn’t the sort of help you get from spending a relaxing day with a good friend.]

Of course, we need to have more ads for psychological help, for all those harmed by the sheer overload of representation, I bet. It’s damage control for a bad habit that’s being promoted like smoking (or, more recently, “vaping”); we are told it’s bad but some people still feel the need to sell you something that contributes to the problem. It’s like sitting at an award ceremony and going home with nothing but the memory of being caught on camera with no accolades to advertise.

So, what are YOU doing here at this award ceremony, where so many are being spotlighted for their recent projects? Nothing? Well, at least, you and your plus one are…uh…looking good. Who are you wearing? Okay. We don’t care. See you on the best dressed reel, tomorrow, and in the next issue of People magazine. Do you have a quote we can use?

It’s bad enough “celebrities” have to be canned the way they are when “promoting” their latest film, podcast or whatever. It’s like a never-ending job interview. You can’t say anything negative about anything, even if it just popped in your head while being asked about the director or a co-star you cannot stand. What was it like? It was…AMAZING. It’s all good. Right?…as you choke on the vomit in your throat. Pitch that resume. Get the next job offer. Everyone wants you because you don’t complain. You’re flawless. [As if.]

Now, if the above turns me off, it turns off my TV. And, if other people turn off the TV or ignore the magazines, all that time and effort applied to painting celebrities as polished and perfectly happy is wasted. No one’s even looking when someone is jabbing a microphone in a famous face and, obviously, making them feel pressured and uncomfortable with the “routine.”

I may not be a fan of some people, but I’ll be less of a fan of more people if they continue to be displayed this canned, artificial way. Even my favorite faces darken my heart whenever I see them “masking” something. I don’t like telling lies, and I don’t like seeing others do it. I’m not the best judge of liars, but, eventually, I know and retaliate.

If celebrities are prone to seeking psychological help, using recreational (and illegal) drugs and facing plastic surgery, what do they think their “fans” are doing? Isn’t it apparent? If someone is in the spotlight, silently saying “this is okay” (what they are doing), witnesses will emulate. And, if the witnesses cannot afford what the celebrities are doing, they will bankrupt themselves in more ways than just financial.

Talk about being bad examples. Forget whatever you think you’re representing for a job that lasts less than a year. Think about your impact on the lives watching you. Of course, when your luxurious financial well-being/ego depends upon that job, you might slight (all of) your spectators. Having to be more selective about the food and/or clothing you buy or what parties you may have to skip is too much to bear (for you).

[If all of this “pressure” is deemed necessary to get a film into theaters (especially a film that betrays its source material by changing the story, as so many films do for whatever reason), I’d say the whole thing is a waste of resources and people. A big budget disaster and lie is what I’d call this. Instead of sticking one cigarette into one person’s mouth, you’re making the whole sky toxic by crowding countless mouths with rolls of excuse paper. Add on the magazine features, DVD extras and merchandise…and I’d be inclined to consider something dark and disturbing I’d rather not mention.]

Can’t everyone just be somewhere, participating without representing? If you’re a guest on a talk show, sure; you’ll want to have something to discuss. But, honestly, for anyone who’s just happy to see someone they like, can’t fans simply enjoy that?…versus pressing the same old questions about what’s coming to theaters or (Cable) TV? See. Then it would actually be good to see someone, again, versus catering to a “plug.”

You know what would really make a celebrity shine in my eyes? Seeing them completely comfortable in their own natural skin, warts and all. [Of course, few or no warts would be better because even I have been conditioned to be that vain.] They don’t have to be the most shiny Muslim or black person (who isn’t exactly black because their parents are “mixed”) or participant in any celebrity showcase. They don’t have to be wearing designer clothes I’ll never afford nor wear. They don’t have to have their ribs showing, bleach their naturally brown skin or dark hair or fit into a size-0 dress. They certainly don’t have to flash cleavage (especially if it’s not there). They don’t have to invite thieves and trolls to assault them (with how they present themselves).

Crack a joke. Tell an embarrassing story, once in your life. Blush a little when you make a mistake. You’re human. Represent that.

But, he or she can’t just be comfortable with their self. They also have to exhibit a compatible personality (for me to like or ever love them). And, if they don’t have that compatible personality? Then I don’t have to be a fan…and that’s okay! Everyone doesn’t have to be the fan of everyone else. Just don’t add to the hate by pretending to be something you’re not or letting anyone spotlight you for something you did not come to do.

[In the case of a certain dancing competition, you didn’t sign on to tote a sign for “black lives matter.” You came to prove you could dance and, maybe, win a trophy. So, if someone asks you how it feels to be the first black woman (if that’s even true) in the finale (and ensuing tour), you don’t give them a single word of compliance. You tell them this isn’t about being black. This is about you. And, as selfish as it may seem, it will be respected. Maybe you’re not toting the weight of every racial issue popping up in the world, but you’re helping yourself with art therapy. Represent that. It’s more important for all of us to heal ourselves and appreciate the arts than think about how being famous and black makes you the spokeswoman for an entire race of people. And, shame on all who press these routine questions on camera; you are tools, slaves of the media. What do we know about slavery? Exactly.]

Go away, you who are phony, canned, visibly waxed, bleached….artificial. And, if you are being forced to represent something for a cause rather than being welcomed for who you are as a person, I don’t want to see you. Forced representation sucks. It’s a bad perfume ad. We don’t need perfume or makeup to cover what we are. We need to know who and what we are and accept that.

Period.

Mic dropped.

I accept that I may be more wordy than others; it’s a side effect of the pressures I’ve been forced to endure. Being more wordy has helped me be more creative expressing myself. It helps with creative writing and solving word puzzles, too. I used to be a quiet kid who did as he was told, trusted and respected most adults (even some who were not family and probably should not have been trusted) and kept himself busy (so he wouldn’t anger his unhappy, quarreling, fussy parents). Then someone, who I trusted to help me steer away from suicide, threatened my life with what they were paid to distribute. And, that turned me into what I am today. I don’t need to represent other wordy people as some sort of cause for mental health or promoting a movie. I’m just me, one of the more wordy people in this world. If you don’t like me, find someone else to read.

23
Sep
22

Big Brother USA 2022 Update; Cousin Conspiracy

By writingbolt Leave a Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
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***

Latest Big Brother USA 2022 news…

It’s down to the final four, Monte, Turner, Taylor and Brittany.

Monte and Taylor are suddenly the African-American Adam and Eve in the house, and poor “meathead” Joseph, in the jury house, is distraught. [But, no, Kyle, there’s nothing suspiciously race-related about that. Not at all. Just very convenient from a TV-show-plot perspective. How convenient that two people of the same general nationality (color) who show no chemistry the whole time they’re among X number of players…suddenly are romantically charged and ready to play the steamy TV couple of the season, considering the other couples have been broken (perhaps a bit too soon). It’s a show about nothing; not that there’s anything wrong with that.]

Evidence shows Turner has been more impressive and deceptive all season than I was aware. He lives up to his name (not his first, which is Matt?)…exceptionally. …AND Monte. I guess I missed a few competitions in which he won. So, Turner AND Monte both HAVE earned some stripes…and just coasted up and down the waves throughout the season. Interesting.

A scene between Monte and Taylor…in a bathtub…in a swimsuit…feels just a little staged. First, what is the benefit of bathing in a bathing suit? Second, her somewhat wounded reaction–which is hard to believe from an “ice queen” to begin with–swiftly turns into a bitchy response about her focus on the prize money. Is she rrrreally that heartless? Or, is this a soap opera? Am I just missing rehearsals by not watching “live feeds?”

Now, they just showed the “touching video” package with the final four’s family/loved ones. And, I am severely shocked at how three out of four segments felt…wrong.

1) Taylor’s…mom? and…grandmother? It’s a fair resemblance…but not just in physical appearance. The two older women exhibit the same icy personality! The older of the two cannot even look the camera in the eye. Cold! family. Brr!

2) Monte’s Dad. He’s definitely not too affectionate, just enough emotional distance to respect his son. But, what a resemblance.

3) Turner’s…Mom? and……WHO is the young woman? The latter says she cannot wait to hug and kiss “Matt,” again. But, she doesn’t look like a girlfriend (of a bisexual something-or-other). Oh, he just said her name is Megan. SHE LOOKS LIKE A SISTER!!! How does a guy who looks like Snoopy’s desert cousin hook up with a girl who looks like him? Freakyyy.

4) Brittany’s husband?! Is it just me or does the guy look like her brother? Honestly. That was NOT her husband. ‘Can’t be.

Next, the “Cookout” from last year returns to…discuss the current season. I’m sorry–no I’m not–but this also feels vvvvery staged, stiff, formal and awkward like a bad beauty pageant. Even the guys in the group look like they’re looking over their shoulders at the women, feeling a little strange about the formal answers to Julie’s questions. Each person gets to give a little speech. A very formal presentation on race with Kyle put into the ugly position of 3K villain. Tacky, Big Brother. Very tacky. [Now, I feel tacky.]

And, wait. Julie is actually HUGGING the Cookout folks? Were they “certified clean” before the hugs? Julie has been so cautious about touching people since the Covid-19 situation began. Now, she’s hugging, again? That, I guess, isn’t as crazy as the other stuff…but it still strikes me a little odd.

The best moment of this recent episode was seeing Joseph genuinely disappointed from missing out on BB Comics night. At least, it looked genuine. Who knew. The muscle-head likes comic books. [And, no, I’m not being heartless. I would have felt disappointed, too. As much as I might not like the guy, I feel a twinge of pity for him…if him and Taylor don’t reconnect. And, if they do, I like the guy less. Ha. She’s cold…but she is fine.]

So, the final three…are Turner, Monte and Taylor. This sounds about right. Not good. But right. Monte is certain to be in final two. No doubts. The question remains if he saves Turner (upholding that old two-person alliance promise) or sticks with the Adam-and-Eve plan. If Taylor does NOT get to be the first black female winner, she either goes home a sore icy loser or gets “saved” by her humble chocolate prince, Monte Buchanan. [I’m just adding the “Buchanan” to give this plot a more substantial soap-opera foundation.] If Turner isn’t the sore loser who just dribbles away into the shadows, still smiling and claiming he loves everyone, he either gets a shot at the big prize, stiffing Prince Monte (or Taylor). Or, he goes home with the consolation prize (and something extra?).

[Wait. That leaves at least one scenario. If Monte goes out in third place, that leaves Taylor and Turner and makes Monte look rather sad. Is Taylor going to pick up Monte Reese’s pieces and put him back together. Unless the ice-queen bit is an act…nooooo. Now, let’s say Turner, the slimy weasel, pulls out the win. Why? Because this may be one of those seasons in which the biggest jerk or other annoyance gets the big prize, upsetting the game. B-But…he was so good at playing weasel. But, a game is a game. And, I didn’t make the rules. And, I don’t like staged games, either. So, if Turner is the big winner, that puts Monte and Taylor, the remaining two “people of color” out in one last sweep. What kind of statement does THAT make to the audience…including the “Cookout” you had come back just to talk about race in this season’s game? Oh, CBS, what a tangled web you weave. You cannot win, either way. Your “try-hard” efforts at racial equality are doomed to backfire. Ehem… ZING!]

[IF Taylor and Monte do not come out on top, get ready, people. They’re bound to get put on another reality-TV show, probably The Amazing Race or whatever that new “challenge” thing is. And, when that happens, I’m really going to be sick…of reality-TV. People are being used like pieces in a game of Monopoly, in a world being swallowed by monopolies. I need to find a place to park and call my own away from all of the money games…if that’s possible and not destitute.]

Let’s not forget the “favorite houseguest” prize. Julie said they get a sum…and something extra? for the first time in BB history? Oh. I cannot wait to see who wins this. I smell stage…I lost count. How many staged events have there been?…since last year?

After twenty-some years?? of this “game,” I’m starting to think Julie really needs to backdoor herself and find something more respectable to do with her talents (and beauty). I stopped watching my “guilty pleasure” for a number of seasons, as I did with the other CBS giant, Survivor. I can stop, again, if I must. I think the last stop was the warning I should have heeded. But, I’ve been weak.

Okay. That’s it. Vent over. Talks amongst yourselves. Discuss. Or, share your thoughts below.

[Just….wow.]

14
Sep
22

Big Brother 24 USA, Shocker Update 9-14-2022

By writingbolt Leave a Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

****

Sooo, Michael’s OUT? [That could be taken/used so many ways…and, at least one, is remotely amusing.]

I’d say “Amazing,” but the show likes to be full of surprises…even if those surprises are rarely pleasing.

Okay. So, someone read my last post and decided to turn the tables to avoid expectations.

Well then…

Who does that leave?

We have 1 “bisexual” (hippie) person and 1 African-American woman (and one remaining African-American man). This isn’t far off from what I recall of a very early season in the show’s history. Once upon a time, there was one black guy, one black gal and one East-Asian woman; and the dark-skinned folks went home rather quickly. That small domino of influence contributed to where and what we are seeing, today. Including how the oldest person in the house never makes it to final three…but, maybe, that will change down the road, when we’ve “honored” every other more crucially important? minority in the world. And, after that, then maybe “white” folks (like me) can win, again.

So, either a slippery weasel wins this game…or, as Taylor announced it herself, SHE wins as the first “black female” to win the game. But…what exactly has she done to earn such a title? Honestly? I adore that spicy potato chip, despite her wicked tendencies. My support of her is largely personal interest/curiosity. As previously stated, I don’t think she has as much chance or reason to win as other players…who have already been eliminated. But, she hasn’t really WON any part of the game. Did she win…two? competitions? Before jury was even a thing? I struggle to recall. I’m pretty sure she was HoH once. But, she seems more like a pretty floater than a mover-and-shaker.

**Will I be happy if Taylor wins? …Not for the reasons being advertised; not because of her race or gender.

[My support is never going to be some popular concern in “today’s society.” I’m not that kind of activist; and, no matter what I may say to the contrary, I’m never guilty of racism or sexism…though Taylor seems to be slinging racial and gender-related comments left and right as if she’s running for Miss USA, and THAT concerns/irks me. I just have feelings about certain people, good or bad, and those may elicit response which sound racist/sexist yet are restricted to the single person who has stirred those feelings. For example, I say Taylor is potentially a wicked-witch type, because she very clearly has behaved that way; I’m not calling out all black/ethnic women as witches or wicked. I’m referring solely to this particular Taylor (who is one of those players who likes to talk about her “resume,” as if Big Brother is a job you list on one of those things during your time off other work).]

She’s not running for President, which would be a far greater and more noble feat for a “black woman.” This is a humiliating game show filled with life’s young oddities (and one older individual who usually doesn’t fare well). It’s not a trophy you really want on a shelf. She’d be better off focusing on establishing genuine friendships, if they are any worth pursuing in the house.

[It’s easier to make a friend than ensure you’ll win the game. And, ultimately, the friendship is worth more than the prize money. But, that’s not what the show/game advertises. Instead, it’s the pitch everyone gives as they snivel and tear-up upon leaving, as if friendship is a last-resort consolation (prize). And, hopefully, they didn’t spoil that by being two-faced and otherwise unsupportive to those “friends” in the name of the game.]

‘Not for her ability to play the game. [Because I’m not seeing her playing as much as she’s giving menacing looks and sounding like a villainess.] I’d be more happy to have a chance to spend time with her and get to know why she deserves/deserved to win…as well as get to know her as a lovely, tall dark-skinned woman. Sure, I suppose, I’d rather have her win than the rest of the players…but that’s largely because I have no valid reason to favor them over her.

**Will I be happy if Turner wins? HECK NO! The guy is a weasel. I repeat myself. The only other thing I can say about the guy is that he lacks anything solid and has no realm of influence…because he is not solid. Just as Kyle is a gas bag of hot air (with a tongue), Turner is like a puddle of motor oil. He holds no shape. He is not loyal to anyone but himself, no matter what “peace and love” he professes. He slips around everyone and everything. If he wins anything, my guess is it happened because everyone else was so confused they couldn’t see straight. Turner doesn’t have to be particularly smart or strong; he just has to avoid the pitfalls the others hit (because they are more solid).

Turner reminds me of a previous season’s rebel who professed “friendship,” except, so far, this rebel hasn’t proven particularly good at anything and certainly hasn’t improved my opinion of him (as that other guy did). [It’s sad how I cannot remember Mr. Friendship’s name. He had a beard and, I think, a mohawk. Mr. Friendship made it to the final three and played his arse off to win but, like many hard-workers, was screwed by the final vote.]

And then, we look at who else is left.

Brittany? If she isn’t the last jury member to sadly be sent packing, does SHE deserve to win? Like Taylor, I adore her, in ways. But, as a player, I don’t know what to say about her. She’s like countless old classmates who had memorable faces but didn’t do anything to stand out in a good way. What do I even know about her? Nothing. I’m going to give her a small fortune because she put up with everyone’s poop and pissing and sat on the block a few times? [I suppose I’d want the same if I was in her shoes. I can see myself in her position…yet, I’d like to think I’d fight harder, make more scenes and actually win a few competitions!]

Alyssa? Seriously? Half of the main showmance? Sure. Why not. It wouldn’t be the first time. But, again, why? She already turned her back on Kyle for the sake of the majority vote. I don’t care for her…at all.

Monte? Gee. He’s a handsome black guy who takes decent care of his physique (I presume). That’s all I can say about him. He has a decent personality, from what I’ve witnessed. He just won a competition…yay? I don’t know why I am to root for him.

So…it’s one of THOSE seasons. See…it’s either the bag of what I no longer want/like (which usually means I stop watching 3-5 episodes before the finale) or it’s the bag that has one potential person worth supporting who either gets screwed at the very end or who turns out to be an unpleasant surprise and THEN wins, only to turn my stomach. Find me a season in which I actually felt good about the winner. I doubt you will.

Which makes you wonder, once more, why do I bother watching this show?

[And, I think the show is finally starting to show its cracks. How many contestants walked out in a huff?…even if they put on smiles during Julie’s interview and (all) seemed to (have to) say they enjoyed the experience and love the show. Was that in a contract? Cuz it sure sounded weird coming out of every mouth. You can’t fake that feeling. Those people were pissed. And, it wasn’t even that heated of a scene to make them mad. They were just victims of the majority vote, a vote placed by people who say they have good feelings about each and every fellow contestant but don’t really do anything to justify or honor those feelings…which leaves the losers quite empty and cross. Thank you, players who stormed out of the house without a hug or another word…but why didn’t you take your own stuff with you?! That seems dumb…unless you were leaving behind a whole phase of your life as I’ve wanted to do a few times, already.]

Let’s face it. I’m a fool. I’m a fool for Julie Chen (who, honestly, has had some of the dumbest dialogue this year, above all previous years). I’m a fool for wacky interior decorating (which didn’t impress me as much this year). [Yet, for some strange reason, I reaaaally want that hexagonal coffee table which reminds me of s’mores.] I’m a fool for wacky competitions (when they aren’t annoyingly repetitive…like using a tilting wall and OTEV every year!…but never give up on BB Comics because I love seeing the covers, even if most of this year’s covers stunk). And, if I have any smarts, I’ll just ignore the big competition aspect. I’m not in the game. It really doesn’t matter. And, part of me is glad I don’t have to be humiliated and endanger my personal space (and possessions) in some foolish hope of making a fairly large some of money.

At least, if I was, I’d know better than most people I see playing the game; I’d know it’s stupid to think you have any chance of controlling the game. You should go in believing the odds are already against you (unless you are LGBTQXYZ or of a “minority”–don’t tell me that’s not a factor), play as hard as you can without risking your health (play smart), forget about alliances and targets and bloodshed (and racism/sexism) and try to reach the top with someone you don’t mind winning, instead of you; so, if you ultimately lose, you don’t feel as bad about losing to a nemesis, jerk, floater or other horrible type. [And, if the show secretly steers the competition in any way to ensure a particular type of person wins, screw the whole thing and chuck this fool off the southern tip of Greece.]

03
Sep
22

Big Brother USA 2022, the League of Obscured Visions

By writingbolt Leave a Comment
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Big Brother, USA, Summer 2022

Hopefully, I get my annual Big Brother post posted before the season ends…

[But, before I do that and finish writing this, I need to go to the Big Brother/CBS website and recall all of the players’ names…because they are slipping out of my busy brain, too quickly.]

[Right now, health concerns and family have me separated from everything internet, if that makes any sense to anyone.]

So, per my usual, I get involved late in the game. Only with maybe a quarter of seasons have I started at day one. More often, I seem to come in after a few eliminations and way too close to the start of Jury picking.

[But first…let me address my latest and possibly biggest peeve with this season, if not every season before it (if I failed to notice the pattern). It seems “free” TV has become so crappy that the segments of Big Brother shown on “regular” CBS have degraded to the worst cuts of footage. The “freeloaders” (like me) get to watch all of the pointless emotional drivel put to extra-dramatic music…but are denied seeing full competitions and interviews with the evicted houseguests. I don’t feel I should have to go looking for other outlets or spending money to get the rest of this game/show. I suppose the free bits are considered nothing more than advertising, then; it’s a tease to get people to look up/buy in to the show. I suppose saying you might as well make the show “exclusive” and taking the pointless bits off broadcast TV would decrease your chances of luring people to the pay spaces. Whatever. I’ll eventually just stop watching. Sorry, Julie. It’s been fun.]

[And, while I’m at it, I’ll say what might be my second new peeve; there seems to be an annual quest to fill certain seats in the house much the way other TV shows and movies feel a need to cast certain…types. This show seems determined to cast a certain number of “people of color” (regardless what color that may be or how mixed a person may be), one token gay person, one token muscular guy, one exceptionally model-worthy woman, one token older man, one or two married people who weep about missing their spouses, etc. It’s beginning to make every season appear like a bingo-ball or playing-card set of castaways at Gilligan’s Island. Who will win this year, the movie star or the professor? I get supporting a variety versus casting all hunks or all nerds might make sense but am not sure I like the static formula, either.]

From my first viewing, I thought this season (2022) was trying extra hard to favor black/African-American folks. Last summer had the “Cookout” alliance wiping out all other skin tones (other than black/African-American) before pecking each other apart. This year looked more apparent. I presumed “white” players were doomed (again).

From my most recent viewing, I am first taking notice of how many players wear EYEGLASSES. I think that’s the record/first for this season, the most people with obscured vision. It’s a regular Stein-Optical fest in the house. And, the ladies wear them well. [The guys look too much like male models ripped from some magazine/catalog…with the exception of the deceptively adept Michael, who could easily decimate the rest of the house and win the whole thing, though I don’t particularly like the guy all that much. But, that’s typical, too; the one person I tend to despise either from the start or at the end tends to either win or make it to the final two (and lets some other disliked person take the big prize).]

Showmances. There seem to be two this season. One was obvious from the (my) start and has been pecked at by everyone else in the house. The other seemed less obvious–until now–and remains uncertain, going forward. I’m sure both will claim to pick up where they left off outside the house; but I predict only the most obvious one will, at least, extend into some other reality-TV appearance (from what they were saying to each other today).

As usual, once I get into a season, I warm up to the crowd and find people I would like to support (as well as befriend outside the house/show).

Taylor is a somewhat icy, calculating, slightly fragile, deep-throated African-American demi-goddess (with a sort of Artemis quality) who seems to have far more to love hidden under her stony surface. [She sure knows what comfort food to cook when she’s upset; you had me at spaghetti with zesty tomato sauce.] She’s essentially the “pretty floater,” the most striking woman in the house who can’t seem to win much of anything. [But, Alyssa is a close second for the position/role.] Yet, she HAS achieved HOH and is decently strong when she wants to be.

There have been plenty of moments when I thought she would turn into some alien monster and bite the heads off the other contestants. She is the perfect candidate to play the alien queen in some “V” movie/series…or the Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Wonderland. She might actually have needles or claws hiding under her fingernails. She can be very cold and calculating.

Yet, I think she’s deeply, secretly troubled in some very human way, like a wounded porcupine. I don’t think she has much chance of winning…unless she’s put in that “do-nothing vs. strategist/villain” position in the final two. But, given the chance to get close to her and know more about what she’s about…I’d be inclined to pick her as a “ride-or-die.” She’s a lovely mystery I want to unwind.

Daniel (already eliminated the week before Jury picking began) was not exactly someone I expected to like (odd hair, nose piercing); he looked like the average guy to make me bristle, the sort of guy I’d expect to clash with and cause scenes with in the house, ultimately resulting in my elimination. Yet, right about the time he was eliminated, I saw a raw, warm human side to the guy that made me wish he had a second chance. His feelings toward the previously eliminated Nicole (who I favored from the first episode I witnessed with her in action) were the same I felt; his choice of words matched mine. So, I was willing to support him. [I’d say he sure got the lousy end of the game, being eliminated and forced to sit and listen as Julie told everyone else they were assured a Jury seat.]

[What? ‘No Battle Back to re-enter the house, this season?]

Nicole (eliminated before Daniel), as I just said, was someone I would have liked to team up with and fight to the end; she was strong and magnetic in her own exotic way; she was (slightly) like Taylor with more muscle and less icy cunning. Like Daniel, she had aspects I didn’t favor but also had something compelling to support. If nothing else, she has good friend potential.

Brittany has the most delicious long brown hair of the season. I just have to say that. She’s the “hands-off” married pretty face in the group; not “model” pretty like some of the other women in the house, but still attractive in her own way. She’s the comic relief, though I haven’t gotten my fill of her wit, yet. She’s like a stand-up comic I’m waiting to deliver some great joke…I’m just staring at her in the silent spotlight…waiting. I don’t know anything particular about her, but I’m drawn to her. I DO NOT think she has a chance of winning; nor would I feel confident in pairing up with her to reach the final two. But, she has a soft spot in my heart, like a former coworker I couldn’t help loving. She’s a teddy bear.

Considering how tired I am of venting negative thoughts and only upsetting more people, I’m not eager to go into detail about the people I DO NOT WANT TO WIN. However (considering this show is as much a “guilty pleasure” as it is a means of torturing people and making them sacrifice good morals for foul play)…

Michael. The string-bean geek you’d expect to be somewhat intelligent but weak in physical competitions. He’s VERY deceptive. [There was a similar geek with glasses in a previous season who deceived everyone with his fake tears up until the final two and managed to win AFTER I went from liking him to hating him.] I completely expect Michael to be in the final 3, if not final 2. He could be a “comp beast,” and no one would take a shot at him. [No one even seems concerned about him, right now, though he’s clearly “masterminding.”]

Kyle. The “boy next-door” every girl wants to be her puppy dog. Prince charming with curly hair and a wide range of fashionable eyewear. [What is he? The face plate of Stanton Optical?] He’s the male lead in Showmance land, paired with Alyssa. From the first time I saw him, I smelled a ringer for alpha male. He just exudes the perfect blend of looks, persuasion and deceptive gameplay. Yet, he stinks. He has an odor I cannot explain other than to say it repels me. He’s the sort of guy I’d feel small standing beside; and I’d easily clash with him over everything…except maybe his relationship with Alyssa. She’s pretty enough, but he can have her. [I prefer Taylor.]

Joseph. Well, unless some surprise is yet to be unleashed, he cannot win, anymore. His elimination was almost as tragic as Daniel’s. Just when you see him developing feelings for/with Taylor, he gets sent home in an odd week-long event that kept the two budding hearts apart. He couldn’t even say “see you later” or hug her on the way out of the house. Even for a self-proclaimed “meathead,” that’s cold. [Note: Me and meatheads don’t mix. And, Joseph, despite his sensitive side and saying a few things I would have, myself, is enough meathead for me to mind my distance.]

Terrance. Mr. DJ? Mr. 100+ tattoo punishment? The “old guy” in the house that makes you wonder what the show is thinking when they insert a “father figure” of that age into a group of horny people fresh out of their college years (if they are that old). He might be an okay guy…I mean, he acts nice, most of the time. But, I get the feeling his smile is all cover. He’s the sort who laughs off everything in your face, like he’s hosting a bad BBQ party, and upsets you when you’re not in the mood. I’d be inclined to avoid him, altogether, and vote him out as soon as possible. He’s not a “threat,” but he’s sure to become annoying. [Again, it’s the sad case of being the oldest guy in the house. That position never has a happy ending and usually endures the most crap thrown at the group.]

Turner. The hippie/surfer of the season. I’d rather picture him as some wooden mascot at a beach tavern/club than win this game. I have no reason to trust or approve of him, unless I wanted to pair up as a couple of thieves. He’s a slippery rodent. And, unless I was entirely sure I COULD trust him, I’d be smart and quick to eliminate him (lest the doofus walk away with the big prize, while I/my favorite sits next to him, feeling quite dumb…and lame).

Monte (the other ethnic Taylor). The handsome black guy of the group. Oh, he’s so handsome. But, he’s not pulling off that “swag” I expect someone like him to have; he’s no lawyer from Wisconsin (season 2021). He doesn’t have any particular skills/strengths (other than his looks). He’s falling into the shadows, letting pasty guys like Kyle and Michael run the show. If he had/has any chance of winning, he’s only going to do so by being the last-resort choice out of two unpleasant options. And, that’s not impossible. It has happened so often, already. The show prides itself on deceiving expectations. [Frankly, that gets really annoying, eventually.] Is it possible he’s a male floater??

…..So, as if it really matters (cuz I sure have lost the interest in caring, considering the odds are too often against me)…who do I predict will win?

It boils down to Kyle and Michael, if being an adequate player/survivor matters. Otherwise, Turner is the likely “upset” and just waiting to get his 15 minutes of how-I-outlast-them-all fame. No one else deserves the win. Actually, ONLY Michael deserves to win.

Kyle is a big puffy bag of smoke who does a lot of talking but cannot hold a candle next to Michael in competitions. Let Kyle walk away with Alyssa willing to date him, and leave it at that. If Kyle wins, he’s as greasy as Turner (and a reality-TV pinup for women). Kyle would be Jason Statham character, Frank, from the first Transporter film. He’d coat himself in garage waste and slip right out of elimination range before creating a scene to earn himself support.

[But, wait. Recently on BIIIIG Brotherrr…Alyssa pulled the no-no and de-valued the relationship she COULD have had. She voted against Kyle, after a huge waste of air time weeping and discussing potential racism.

Let’s take a hot minute to discuss racism on Big Brother (again). On one side, you have Kyle suspecting “people of color” might band together, as they did last season, to oust the “white” people. ‘Fair enough, I’d say. But, when he proposed all of the “white” people should band together to spare themselves from such a racial turn of events…that was dumb. Yet, is it any more questionable than what Taylor did recently (on the other side)? Taylor came right out (to the Diary Room) and said she didn’t want to be responsible for casting a vote against or evicting someone of color. Did anyone hear that? Did anyone make a fuss? Apparently not. So, let me get this straight, it’s okay for a “woman of color” to turn a blind eye to all fellow “people of color,” regardless of what those people do/say; they could be the worst person in the house, with horrible morals/intentions…yet, because they are “color,” they get a pass? How stupid is that!? About as stupid as what Kyle actually did, not what the tone of the week suggested was true (that Kyle was actually racist). If anything a “person of color” can/could/did do is better than what a “white” person did/does, then let’s just cut out all the white people from the start. Hmm? Let’s eliminate that touchy subject, right away. I’d hate to be a “white” person in the house, always feeling like my slightest move could upset the racial or gender balance of the universe so badly as to become a public spectacle and ruin my future outside the house. Shame on me for my lack of color. Isn’t that racist, too, to make “white” folks feel like monsters who need to be collared?

So…Kyle leaves the house like someone about to get his brain altered by a lab; so I guess that’s over. I was wrong. They DO NOT belong together, after all. Even if her feelings were only semi-strong for him, even if they were just on a friendly level, she should have turned her back to the gay-supportive majority and voted to evict Taylor (even though I still strangely favor Taylor). I’d say my initial prediction just got boosted to official; I see no way other than the freak upset (the screw-you-best-player vote) for Michael to lose this thing; and it would take a twisted speech by Dr. Plastic Face to make that happen.]

Meanwhile, Michael will have won every vital competition with his hands tied and layed out his plans for world domination. [Michael’s performance in the “guess the number of things” competition essentially painted this profile of him. His reactions were that annoyingly cunning; he has a certain “Jeopardy brainiac” spark I would be wise to snuff out sooner than later.] If Michael teamed up with Taylor, and if he tapped her dark side, they’d be the last two living things on the planet, standing on a burning heap of destruction. Michael would be Magneto, and Taylor would turn out like Jean Grey in the X-Men films, raw, untapped power just waiting to explode and destroy everything without proper guidance and self-control. Maybe Turner would crawl out of that heap, smoking something wrapped in white ashes, snagging his possum tail on some broken piece of outdated technology.

[But, if I was in the house, I’d be working alongside Taylor; with her I’d fight tooth and nail to ensure her or I would win, even if she started out as a cold reptile. I think she’s like Excalibur, crusted in stone; give her a good polishing, and she shines. She could defeat everyone else (and I wouldn’t mind losing to her, unless she proved to be more “arse” than endearing), but she definitely needs someone to jumpstart her heart. Of course, if I knew any of the other contestants better and felt they had a more valid reason/goal to win, I might choose my partner, differently. I’d say SCREW YOU to all alliances bigger than two people and not for a second plot to put myself up against my nemesis (in the final two). No volunteering to be pawn, either; that’s just dumb.]

[Gathering thoughts on the game, itself, I think my latest POV (which varies and gathers polish, year after year) on how to play would be to play it as a game and expect nothing more from it. Go in without a short-term/long-term strategy, avoid alliances (as I just explained), find at least one reliable friend to keep in and outside the house (if genuine friendships are not a TV illusion/fantasy and cruel joke waiting to crumble)…and just do your best at everything, never worrying about the target on your back or “blood on your hands.” Don’t disrespect your competitors by slighting their ambitions for winning. But, also don’t let anyone get inside your head and bring you down. Don’t lose sleep, even if the game does enough to rob you of sleep, privacy and respect (in general). If you get eliminated earlier than you had hoped, hopefully you still enjoyed the time you had in the house, rather than go out when you haven’t even made an effort, yet, because that was your “strategy.” Don’t wait for a moment to strike/win. Win while you can and lead the charge. If you can, become the magnet and watch as the others bow to your greatness (without boasting); they will cower and plead with you, giving you liberty to make decisions and secure your place in the finale. And, if some alliance amasses votes against you, claiming you are a threat of any kind, again, hopefully, you’ve done all you can on your own and enjoyed the game. Don’t get too angry at those who vote you out; they’re just sheep following the “alpha.” But, don’t consider them friend material, either; because true friends would vote to keep you and risk going against the majority. Don’t just walk out and give some BS interview response about how much fun you had (and how much you love the game) if you know you made a huge mistake and/or didn’t compete to the best of your ability. Confess your stupidity and/or lousy luck to Julie.]

And, if they still honor it, who gets the “best houseguest” prize? ‘Probably someone eliminated early in the game, before Jury (which means I hardly or don’t know them). Nicole had her spark (as nice Nicoles seem to do). Daniel? seemed like a decent guy. Brittany/Tiffany? is certainly loveable. But, I don’t know if she’s particularly reassuring to the majority of the house; she hasn’t quite exuded or sparked that sort of appeal. No one, this season, has shown that charismatic “good sport” side, as of yet.

I’d say, overall, the two key words for the season are “subdued” and “eyeglasses.” Yep. That about sums up BB 2022. Subdued eyeglasses. Or, obscured vision. Either way.

10
Sep
21

Isn’t Applauding Ethnicity (Alone) Still Racism?

By writingbolt 4 Comments
Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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I keep hearing and seeing these “historical moments” in which people of any ethnicity other than “Caucasian” get a standing ovation for being featured in something other than an “extra” role in film and television. [Books will come later. Though, there have been authors of various ethnicities for a long time; no one seems to care about this point.] Most recently, Asian film leads are getting plenty of buzz. And, before that revolution, coincidentally after recent history with violence against Asian folks, there was a strong “black” movement in film/television. If you see enough commercials, you see plenty more African-American folks and fewer Caucasian folks.

Cultural diversity is just fine. I get it. Caucasians have been dominant in America for so long, regardless if that dominance includes Caucasians of various nationalities. [No one’s making a fuss about Germans or Irish folks getting more exposure and fame than Polish or Italian folks; are they?] It’s about time someone from a different culture, an immigrant (other than all the other immigrants that have come and gone), achieved some status in the USA, restoring some luster to that old chestnut, the “American dream.” It’s time we discarded the stereotypes of the 1960s and 70s, in which many “black” and Asian folks are in servant roles.

But…ain’t that America?

I mean…if we drop in on China or Japan, you’re not going to see many–if any–Caucasian storytellers or leads in movies. You’re going to see Chinese and Japanese folks. That’s their people. [Of course, you probably won’t see “white” or “black” folks in servant roles, either. Maybe you’ll see some “white” folks looking/acting stupid…but that’s about it. Just sample some Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee films.]

[And, on that note, Jackie Chan has been leading in his films for a long time. And, that’s not just as special or worth applauding? He’s become a star in places other than his own native land without much focus on his ethnicity. What’s special about any other Asian person being a lead actor when you consider someone like him, the somewhat charming stuntman-star? Now…let’s not all go out and do our own stunts; okay? It’s not worth the punishment to the body.]

Is anyone not native to China or Japan going there and making a big, public fuss about being slighted? I probably would fuss if I felt that pressure and scrutiny. I have yet to get there; you tell me.

If a “white” man heads a business or is the most famous actor in some Asian country, that’s news to me. He probably came with a ton of money and investors and bought up the place. Google wasn’t started by a “black” or Asian guy; neither was Amazon.

I am almost certain that MAKING a non-Caucasian person the head of some prominent company in the USA is not going to overturn or end racism. If that individual doesn’t rightfully earn the position, it’s fabricated status. It’s like getting a “participation trophy” or tournament title someone on your team earned for you (because, truthfully, you did nothing). If you apply gold paint to an incompetent laborer, they’re still going to be an incompetent laborer.

[HOWEVER, if you are of a non-Caucasian culture and are DENIED status (or a high-paid position of status) with even the slightest reason being…you’re not “white”…THEN we have a problem that needs to be addressed. And, giving a few “participation” trophies to non-white individuals or rewriting stories about “white” characters isn’t going to solve it.]

I’d like that same concern and respect applied to all nations. But, let’s be honest, again; what are the odds of a “white” man (or woman) easing into some place like Iraq or South Korea and becoming the next big corporate head?…or even the most favored actor (or actress) of that nation? Wouldn’t the “majority” culture of that nation want to represent itself?

Crucial question break. What makes a nation a nation other than it’s native population? [Of course, in the case of “America,” the native population is more like a skid mark left on the roads than a prominent representation of the people. But, that’s an argument for another day. Enjoy your turkeys stuffed with lies.]

If you take away the native population, the founding population, and replace it with a rainbow of cultures, what defines the boundaries or makeup of that nation? If every nation looks like the USA, with every culture on display, what separates that OTHER nation from the USA, good and bad? Wouldn’t all nations lose their importance if we took away cultural significance, cultural distinction? [And, I leave it to you, readers, to figure out if that’s a good or bad thing. Maybe, when we finally get rid of national borders, we might all share ALL of the land, equally? What a crazy, daring notion. It boggles the mind.]

Just…IMAGINE…the recent Tokyo Olympics with all “white” or “black” people running the show. If there had been no natives in kimonos, no kabuki actors or shockingly big and beautiful drums on display, would you even know it was Japan hosting? How can you represent a culture and its history by featuring those who are not of that culture and history?

The Magnificent Seven was originally a story about seven samurai. It was re-written to be a Western, starring Yul Brenner (of all people to play a cowboy). It’s been re-re-written as a Western not that long ago. [Because, in the USA, there’s nothing better than a remake of a remake…… Spoiler alert. Sarcasm!]

While I applaud writers for being creative and turning a samurai story into a Western, I could complain about twisting what was already a good cultural story. But, I’m pretty sure other cultures have turned stories written by non-native people into stories featuring their own ethnicity. I know, for a fact, there’s a Japanese Alice in Wonderland out there (but the protagonist isn’t trying to be THE Alice). At least, the filmmakers of The Magnificent Seven didn’t cast “white” guys to play seven samurai.

The USA just happens to have a Caucasian majority and has brought in people of other nations/cultures. And, that causes no concern…until someone decides to feel slighted or say, “Hey! What about those people? Don’t they deserve something? Where’s their fair share?”

What’s so special about being any ethnicity other than “white” if that’s all there is to the story? And, why not acknowledge what makes the individual special–not including their nationality–if we hope to conquer racism? Isn’t that the goal of ending racism?…recognizing the value of each and every person, regardless of ethnicity? If we spotlight someone for being Asian or “black,” aren’t we contributing to the problem?

Help me define this. Is racism the mistreatment of people sparked by an irrational resentment toward that people (typically a biproduct of simply fearing the unknown, someone or something we have yet to experience and/or understand) or simply the angry rant of someone from a particular ethnicity for being slighted?

Disney didn’t have a bunch of pasty “white” princesses because of some Nazi agenda. And, you can’t tell a story about a poor German girl if she’s not a poor German girl. Sorry if Snow White being a very pale Caucasian woman bothers you; I’d rather not bleach someone to look that white. [I dare anyone to rewrite THAT story with an African-American lead. That’s just ridiculous.]

It becomes a different story when you change the character. Sure, the events might be similar (or even seemingly identical)…regardless if that’s realistic. I get the feeling authors and movie makers are still more concerned about including a cultural face than accurately representing a culture. And, when they are not, the effort to represent a culture washes away the story; we become focused on “this is what it’s like to be a person of the ___ culture” instead of “this is a story about a person named ___.”

[I’ve ranted about this, before. Instead of re-writing previous stories and making a dozen remakes just to satisfy a few people of other cultures who wish to be part of that story, can’t we encourage more creativity and write just as good or better stories that are more original? Can’t we herald someone for that instead of just spending a fortune on repainting something that’s already been done? If not, how long before we don’t even bother reading or watching movies because the stories are all the same, just with different faces?]

When trying to become a famous author, you might hear people say, “Write what you know.” Stan Lee, at Timely/Marvel Comics, helped create a number of Caucasian heroes and heroines before he ever dared to try an African American or Asian one. He also struggled with anything scientific…because he really didn’t know much about the matter! He wrote what he knew and then daringly tried to include other subjects. He could have been heckled and lost his job for trying to properly represent someone of another ethnicity. Surely, mobs could have assembled to complain about the lack of realistic portrayals and returned shredded comic books in crates of excelsior. [See what I did there?]

There are people “out there” who feel a need to give every culture the chance to be everything imaginable. And, that’s fine. But, can’t it be one’s imagination that gets them there? Isn’t imagination a key component to creativity? Aren’t some of the greatest heroes born out of deficiency, lacking something but rising from “nothing” to become great?

I know I don’t look like any of the characters I’ve come to admire, characters I’d dress up as for Halloween. It’s fairly humiliating to dress up as someone with plenty of muscle and a skimpy costume when you typically cover up your pasty, lanky body with loose clothing. It’s silly. But, it’s my imagination that lets me make and don that costume and feel some measure of amusement in it. I can pretend to be the character. I don’t have to be “black” to dress up as the Black Panther, from Marvel Comics, or from the Far East to pretend I have the skills of Bruce Lee. [Coincidentally, I did wear a black cat costume, once. And, now and then, I pretend to be a sort of Bruce Lee, usually making a fool of myself.]

Do I need someone to put MY face or physique on a TV or movie screen to feel accepted?…to feel special? I’m sure it would have an impact. But, I’d probably feel better if I could just interact with people without feeling inadequate or bullied. I don’t think a movie about a guy like me is going to change that. I don’t think starring in a movie is going to suddenly make anyone treat me better–other than the whole “celebrity factor”–or change how people treat guys like me, including me. Especially, under current conditions, with so many shaking their fingers at “the white man.” With such importance placed on hiring and representing people of other cultures, suddenly being the “white guy on the totem pole” is more challenging than ever. Is that ending racism? [Or, am I just the next victim?] Do we all have to become “famous” to find acceptance and be treated nicely?

If we herald someone just for being a different skin tone or gender choice, I think we do as much to cultivate racism as we do to counter it. Only when we acknowledge some value beyond the surface do we ignore and get past it. If we recognize people for their merits and wits, not their appearance, we let racism disappear. It’s easier to lose/forget something when you stop thinking about it, when it’s no longer in your face or discussed at your table.

08
Sep
21

Join the Cancel Culture Club!

By writingbolt Leave a Comment
Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

****

Have you heard? It’s the latest hip thing to groove your generation. And, if you’re down with sacking the kings of mountains (or queens of the Stone Age), you’ll be top of the crap heap or just another brick in the wall in no time.

It’s the Cancel Culture Club! And, unlike the Culture Club of the 1980s, this one is headed by Chief Boi R and D; that’s Research of online history and Development of public scandal. Ain’t it cool? Ain’t it cool to be nosy and rat on rolling stones?

Don’t know what I’m sayin’? Well, catch this, faze-ing beach bois and manly valley girls.

“This ain’t a scene; it’s a god-damned arms race.” ~Fall Out Boy

“It’s interesting when people die; give us dirty laundry.

Dirty little secrets; dirty little lies.
We got our pretty little fingers in everybody’s pie.
We like to cut you down to size.
We love dirty laundry.” ~Don Henley

Someone says or writes something etched on a tiny piece of internet territory. Celebrities are practically encouraged to rant as an alternative to professional therapy; anything to stay famous if the price is right. Maybe no one says anything, in response. Maybe they do, but it gets swept under a rug.

You know how it is. You blog, and, if you’re lucky, some rare soul leaves a comment. Or, you pour your furious heart out on the screen, and all you get is dead silence and shady “follows” from people who might just be covers for secretive, spy-like organizations or websites looking to make a dime off you (possibly by involving your internet space in a scam). [I’ve looked into a few “followers” and found empty spaces and a few 404s. Surprisingly, not that many 420s. They seem to be swarming to arenas like Rocket League.]

Years roll by, and the thought just sits there, collecting cyber-dust. Then, out of the blue, someone pulls the pin on a tabloid grenade and blows up your claim to fame or just a sustainable lifestyle. Boom. Down goes your career and all you cherish. You’re public enemy number one and will be joined on the firing line by a dozen other similar saps wishing they were in a witness-protection program.

[So much for The Great Escape, Boys Love Girls.]

Welcome to the Cancel Culture Club, where the drinks are free but the price of admission will take you by surprise. You don’t get drunk here. You get SUNK…as in cement boots of shame and a cold farewell.

What? You thought it was just an innocent explosion of your temper? You were under pressure and venting steam? Oh, I understand. But, the trending majority do not and are too eager to pull the trigger that ends your comfortable life.

Sure. Some unpleasant crimes hidden away in a deceptive past may finally see justice served. [If you were raped at a younger age or drugged on a date, you have every right to shed light on the monster.] But, just as likely, the white paint will go too far and wipe out some colorful characters who merely cast a brief shadow on the immaculate world so many wish was their utopia. There seems to be no such thing as a small crime or little slip, anymore. The oppressed are rising up like The Planet of the Apes and taking down anyone who gets in their mad way, big fish or small fry.

[My skills at getting the dirt on people could use some honing. It’s no good to kick up a fuss without sufficient evidence. And, back when I was in school, there was no internet, just tiny bits of film you could magnify in a library, clippings of old news articles and whatnot. I suppose it could cause the same scandal if you put in the effort to research, but you’d have to buy air time on TV versus taking the convenient YouTube/Vimeo route you have today.]

Well, wake up mouseketeers. If you get sucked into the dark pleasure of tattling, it’s only a matter of time before we all go down in flames. You think you’re innocent, now. But, you just try to paint yourself as the next Mother Theresa. Good luck. The writing is on the movie screen.

Now, I’m not saying we should all throw away our conscience and/or morals, if we have any left. I’m not giving everyone a license to be rude (all of the time). But, I understand how events can boil and cause some otherwise innocent souls to be bent to the side of darkness.

Right now, you might not have an axe to grind. Tomorrow, someone does something to threaten your pleasant outlook on life, and you feel the burning prod of revenge. If you lash out, your action might be justified. [Well, maybe not in this present age of turning every little thing into a crime.] You’re only truly a monster if you make a habit of it and take pleasure in your torture. A one-time rapist can still atone. A serial or habitual rapist needs more help (and maybe some jail time).

[Then again, Cain only had one brother and put an end to that rather quickly. I guess there wasn’t much room for atonement there…unless he started a Big Brother organization for counseling troubled youths with annoying siblings. Ha. Can you imagine? The guy who murders his own brother managing a company that counsels youths lacking proper emotional support and discipline.]

Maybe, as a kid, you stole something from someone or a store, just because you couldn’t resist the desire to have one of your own. If you were still a good little kid, you might have returned what you stole (and golden if you apologized). Even if you kept the stolen good(s), as long as you don’t take up a life of crime, you can, at least, seek forgiveness, even if the victim doesn’t forgive you. You can redeem yourself.

Cripes; even Luke Skywalker wasn’t a whiney bitch all of the time. He had his light and dark force moments, like his father before him. Did he join the Sith? Nope. He turned his semi-robotic life around and shed some light on the universe. Just imagine if he’d been cast out of the rebel alliance or struck down faster than that prune-faced emperor guy. Your box set would probably be a fraction of the size it is now. [I think I heard a stand-up comic recite this bit, once.]

Let karma (or a higher power) sort the criminals from the innocent (if you can’t trust the police or government). Don’t be the internet troll unless you want to abolish free speech, forgiveness, atonement and privacy, along with your long list of tiny crimes. Be the internet muse or the internet counselor. No one needs a troll. [Sorry, actual trolls who might just be nice creatures living under bridges. I’m just…I-I should come up with a better term for the type.]

As The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus says…

“A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect.
Every action in this world will bear a consequence.
If you wade around forever, you will surely drown.
I see what’s going down.”

So, either mind every little thing you say and do in life (because someone seems to be watching and privacy just might be endangered) or take your chances and pray you don’t take the fall. Eventually, even the rats get eaten, when there’s nothing else left to call food or target practice.

Thanks, Internet. You’re the bad gift that just keeps giving, like “smartphones,” your ugly cousins who suck the enjoyment out of every live experience because they can’t stop filming and scrolling. Like Jurassic Park, you were the dream of a man seeking a free circus, and you spare no expense. You let us in and made us feel fairly comfortable with all of the ice cream and toys before the dinosaurs broke out of their cages and started tearing us all apart.

If you’re looking for me, I’ll just be sneaking around the heaps of ankylosaur feces, peeing in can of shaving cream. You know, ankylosaurs, the dinosaurs who knows how to CLUB.

I won’t likely be joining. I’ve never been a good “joiner” (or reader). Knowing me, I’ll be too blind to see the hammer coming. But, I’m not that blind, yet. And, I’m just too cynical and bitter at my age to shut my mouth. ‘Doesn’t make me a fill-in-the-blank-ist. I’m not a mobster; I typically operate solo. If I hurt anyone, they probably had it coming and ignored the warnings.

Party on, rebels.

26
Aug
20

Love and Hate, BB USA Quarantine All-Stars 2020

By writingbolt Leave a Comment
Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

***

IT’S THAT TIME, AGAIN!  My “reality TV crutch,” much like the one Christmas needed to get through her first season.  Yes, I said her first season.  And, despite the ANNOYING details most of this year’s competitors bring to the round table, I am rooting for Christmas to win the whole sha-bang.

What am I talking about?  Does anyone who uses this blog site really care?  Maybe if you’re based in California and are wherever they rope these people into game shows like they were members of the LOST cast and can’t get off the damn island!

I’m talking about the USA version of Big Brother; which, this year, is an “All-Stars” year…

[If you’re a fan, feel free to read along.  If you’re clueless or just interested, save your eyesight.]

…And, it makes me HATE the show I can’t help LOVING because of the wacky interior decoration and some really creative competitions.   Those are really the main two reasons I even bother with the show.  It’s about seeing what people do to decorate the place, which I wonder if any competitor really appreciates.  [They never say anything beyond some comment about the squirrel population or the vomiting monster that never seems to go away.]

If you haven’t read my older posts about the show, I started watching way back when it first started.  I STOPPED watching when they had an All-Stars competition with some people I already detested.  I came back…I cannot even remember when…when, I think, I saw some competition that really excited me.  Maybe it was the first comic book competition.  And, I have been giving it a “trial second marriage.”  But, it keeps…testing…me!  There is something extra stupid and wrong with the whole setup.

They’ve really beefed up the stupid.  Forget surpassing every previous year by rearranging rooms and featuring new risks.  Forget the old-school systems of alliances and show-mances.  If these wealthy, world-traveling, internet-blasted idiots are going to play those old hands, they are…well, I said it, already.  Let me break my geeky thoughts down for you…

  1.  Many of the competitors are “living the good life” with a life partner, with or without kids.  They supposedly are doing well financially, looking as glamorous as they can be and HAPPY with their relationships.  WHY THE F’ ARE YOU COMING BACK TO THIS COMPETITION WHERE YOU ARE TREATED LIKE SINGLE MORONS TRYING TO FIND A SOCIAL LIFE ON TV??!?!?  [I think even Julie Chen is lost for words; I get the feeling there is much she would like to say to these people, after ALL the years she has hosted this hot mess, yet is forced…and I mean forced…to process every episode to the letter, when the people she must work with cannot even cooperate.  I FEEL BAD FOR YOU, JULIE!  YOU’RE STILL AWESOME…BUT THIS IS GETTING TRULY STUPID.  If you’re in a “good relationship,” if you come into the house wearing a ring, there is little to no social game to play.  There is no show-mance.  If you’re a WHITE guy and half decent at socializing, you might find a bro-mance.  But, I still have my doubts.  Take the social, emotional relationship conflict out of the game, and you’re left with competitions; you’re left with an Olympic games of quarantine stupidity.
  2. HATE THEM!  I’m just going to come right out and peg them for what they are.  Nicole F. (we have to be specific because they were dumb enough to bring TWO Nicoles into an All-Stars competition) has played, lost, won, been on another reality-TV game show, seen much of the world and is dumb enough to come back for another season.  She needs to go home and make sure her life is on track; my prediction is she will NOT win but come back many more times because she is LOST…like Hurley lost.  Ian is another winner and enough nervous energy to make my skin crawl.  He is like me at my social worst combined with my early teen ego, thinking I’m the smartest person in the room.  I would feel 2 percent sympathy for him and spend as much time away from him, Nicole F. and the flamboyant one as one could in this situation.  Cody…I knew from the first MINUTE he was on camera, I couldn’t stand him.  He paired up with a smart cop, and, yes, that cop secured his wimpy dog butt to the finals; he is going to be struggling on his own all “summer.”  And, I am going to have to ignore him, again, if I bother to watch more of this.  I could not STAND Da’Vonne the first time I saw her; I don’t need a second helping.  She supposedly pairs up with the lovely but wacko Bayleigh–another person supposedly happily employed and married–and I can’t help smelling trainwreck.  I am sure “Swaggy C” is shaking his head, already.  I know black folks “have to stick together”–just like guys from Brooklyn or ‘Jersey feel the need to stay “friends–but there is no way two black women with explosive mouths, pairing up on a white-male-dominated game show have AAAAANY chance of surviving this game beyond…let’s predict midway, at best.  ONE of them is going home before the other, if she’s lucky, makes jury.   Which brings me to…
  3. Racism continues to be an underlying layer.  EVERY season I have watched, the game is dominated by beefy, dumb-ass white guys who sound like they’ve been holed up in some witness-protection camp.  They come in, flashing muscles and smiles, wearing the skimpiest workout attire, assert some false sense of friendship and then go huddle up in some room to make alliances, like a pack of stray dogs trying to figure out where they will get their next meal.  But, there is HOPE.  Or, maybe it’s a CBS ploy to instill hope?  The “comp beast” Tyler, who got one of the prettiest girls on the show to marry him somehow…who, as he says, “wrote too many checks” he could not cash…supposedly wants to support David, the fool who was the first to go last year, due to a STUPID “hot, new opening competition” concept.  How STUPID was that.  How awful many felt for the guy.  And then, he “battled back” to get back in…and got thrown right back out, just like the hubby of Nicole F.   [The fact that her last initial is F should say something.  Hmm?]  Now, if Tyler’s word is gold and not a CBS move (which I do not put past these TV empires to try), we may have our first black man to survive a season…UNTIL Tyler crushes him, because, let’s be honest, David has a 2 percent chance of winning…anything.  He not only botched his first challenge(s), he already lost at least one.  [I have not seen every episode of this season; only highlights.]  There is NO WAY he is beating Tyler IF Tyler “carries him” to the final three/two.  And, sadly, unless he gets the chance to win viewers over with some charming display…which I don’t see how when the social game is reduced to the best of the best seeking some kind of redemption?…I don’t see him winning “fan favorite houseguest.”   But, if Tyler is backing David because of the raw deal David got last time, I am slightly awed by Tyler’s motivation.
  4.   Covid-19 masks and the BB Bubble?  The minute the first houseguests entered the “bubble” and then the house, they tossed those vital masks aside like garbage.   How important are the masks to anyone except maybe CBS PR execs and Julie Chen (who I imagine is a bit concerned about getting sick, though SHE does not wear a mask…hmm).  I think the Bubble is pointless.  I think the masks are misused.  And, I think Julie should wear a mask if everyone else must wear one.

I’ll leave it at that, I think.  I just had to vent, again.

BUT FIRST!…ha…a quick note of sympathy to Nicole A., who I thought had a chance…who I ALSO would have helped reach final three, last year, and probably given a better chance to win the big prize.  I think the other finalists were so moved by her fighting spirit (yet sure they could beat her in the end) that they included her in the final three.  CLEARLY an “underdog” with no sufficient “game,” but no worse off than her blonde twin who, I think, just got lucky or was handed a golden ticket, somehow.  I, honestly, do not know how she won with the standards against her and no sign of her establishing anything good except with the humble Jesus she now calls a fiancé…as she brushes off talk of wedding plans, saying something about him being in charge…SHE DOESN’T MAKE DECISIONS!!  [Ehem.  Sorry, Nicole A.  I was rooting for ya.  But, you, like me, need a good friend in your corner.  Sadly, you didn’t have enough to compete with the “rule of dumb.”  Despite moments when you…well, got a lil whiney and may have talked a bit too much…I think we would have been good pals.  And, being my pal would push me to fight/compete for you; you’d get my respect to beat me in the finals, not get brushed aside when dollar signs flashed in my face.  As Paul seemed to pass off as truth, friendship means more to me than the prize money.  The odds are against you in such a gamble.  But, lasting friendship is sweeter than cold cash with strings.]

So, to wrap it all up…

I am rooting for Christmas to win the big prize, but my bets are too often lost; so the odds are against her, most likely.  [I normally find myself drawn to the pretty faces, like a damn fool, and see them fall, one by one, to the alpha males…unless they happen to be in a stupid alliance and “float” to jury status (or establish that infamous “showmance”…WHICH WILL NOT HAPPEN IN THIS CASE!…unless “happy marriages” be damned to fail…and, gee, that’s not happening….right).

Tyler stands the best chance of winning, or, at least, being up against Ian in the finals…unless someone gets smart (ha) and bumps Tyler out AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  Tyler’s the lucky monkey paw that can’t seem to lose when it counts.  [He only loses when the jury turns against him…and how does THAT happen?  Like it did to Paul, Mr. Friendship who went from nagging wimp to strategic competitor.]  Ian is the biggest brain in the house, and I feel like he’s Marty McFly in disguise, just waiting to take off in a flying time-traveling car with his girlfriend, who might be the daughter of his mother who might have slept with him in another place and time.

Also, in current viewing events, Kaysar went from being a guy that gave me an unsettling feeling when he first appeared/played to the guy with the best charisma in this All-Star season.  His comment(s) to Janelle when she was evicted, his determination to make the alliance pay…that was inspiring.  He says he wanted to be an inspiration and that the money wasn’t as important.  Well…that’s nice.  And, I think Julie has a lil crush on him.  And, he has a tiny crush on her (as do I).  But, he blew himself out of the house with a very desperate but foolish last move.  And then he freaked out when he thought Julie said he was voted back into the house.  So, you did NOT want another chance to talk with any of those people you wanted to inspire or win the money?  You had enough time in the house to do all that you came to do?  [I don’t think so, Kaysar.]  Had I met him in the house this year, I would have made myself an honest partner in a two-man alliance, maybe let Christmas and David into that pack…but, each of them has their hang-ups.  Yet, Christmas has had the best luck, so far!  There is something wacky going on with her.

And, despite how his restless syndrome drives me completely batty, Ian has the funniest clip of the season, thus far, when he’s resting with Christmas on the hammock.  She says she is cooking (from the intense sunshine she is allowing to pour upon her when she could have sat any number of places in that field/backyard)…and Ian replies, “What are you making?”  He was trying to play stupid, he says.  But, it just struck my funny bone.

If you are a fellow nut for watching, who do you foresee winning this silly “anniversary” competition?

03
Apr
17

White or Right, My Views on “Whitewashing”

By writingbolt Leave a Comment
Categories: Concerns and Alerts, Movie Reviews and Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

*****
So, there’s this bad odor going around called “whitewashing.” If you are oblivious to the concept, it basically refers to…well, it has a few uses, already. One being Caucasian people being cast in roles originally set for other nationalities. And, that is what tops my peeve list at the moment. Namely, a certain typically blonde actress being cast to play a raven-haired and distinctly Asian character from a “popular” anime about a female cyborg cop.

[Note I have omitted names and titles lest giving them more specific attention only add to the theory that bad press still adds to ticket sales. For the purposes of this editorial and my own amusement, I will refer to the cast actress as “Red Role-playing Hood” and the movie as “Robocop 4: Turning Japanese.”]

Some say “Red Role-playing Hood” sells movie tickets and that this is enough justification to cast her. Others plain and simple object to her being cast in this particular role, regardless of justification.

According to an article I read, one of the artists behind the original story says the character has lost her original human name and identity, thus she could be just about anybody of any race.

If that is the case, I’d have made a different film. I’d have designed the film as a spinoff of the original story, having “Red Role-playing Hood” play a similar cyborg who looks different. Heck, the protagonist could have any body or hair color she wants if she’s not the original character. The story could have remained the same or similar with some minor changes. There’s a whole series of Resident Evil movies out there now that aren’t exactly about the original game cast, focusing on some lab creation, instead.

Another article states the actress has said she would not take a role she felt would be viewed as offensive…buuuut she IS taking the role; and some find her choice offensive, or, at least, infuriating. Myself included.

I think she, like many, will take just about any role she can get. So, if someone handed “Red Role-playing Hood” the script, I doubt she would have turned it down, considering she is open to expanding her options and likes to play odd roles that may not suit her, roles other actresses would more likely turn down to avoid being judged “weird” or being asked to play more roles like this one instead of roles in other genres they prefer. Months or years from now, one of those actresses that passed on the film will speak out at some interview for another project and admit they passed on the role while subtly praising “Red Role-playing Hood” for being an “amazing” person with whom she worked or met at an awards show.

I say the whole notion of “Red Role-playing Hood” making better ticket sales than an actual Asian, or more specifically Japanese, actress–possibly a “nobody”–is hogwash. Even if “Red Role-playing Hood” draws a certain crowd, it’s as likely the crowd comes to see HER, not the character she portrays. And, considering she looks like a clown in some green-screen body suit and wig, I feel she should NOT be playing this part.

[I am asking would-be film makers.] Would a character written as an African woman be cast/rewritten as a white woman in disguise, as well? And, if the character did not look one bit like Thandie N., would you still cast Thandie N. to play the part because she’s the only dark-skinned actress you could get to take the part? Or, would you go out of your way to find a more perfect match for the character? Is it really so important to put a movie out before all the pieces properly fit? Or, are you so lustful for profits and jumping at any dog that barks that you’ll rush to blow a budget on a lesser prize?

Why was the Thing shorter than the rest of the Fantastic Four in the first films, featuring Jessica A. as the Invisible Woman? Was Michael C. cast because of ticket sales, because he fit the role…or maybe because no one else wanted the role and/or the costume designers couldn’t make him appear bigger…even if they have the technology to fake such things?

I didn’t care for Charlize T. playing Aeon Flux, either. Some people you just get used to seeing with a certain hair color and look. And, throwing them into some character that is completely different without proper blending of appearance just makes the whole image a joke. I don’t want to see a parody of the original story. Thus, I don’t want to boost ticket sales for this film. I’ll give it a try another way, as the modern world provides. And, all ticket sale crap can just fly out the window. It’s bullshit that can be skewed, anyway. [And, I throw all the award show nonsense into the same pot. Such a waste of time and resources with little regard for the source material.] It boils down to what you choose to believe.

[On the flip side, Hugh J. was so compelling as Wolverine, I put up with him being taller than most other X-Men, even though the character was fairly short in the comics.  He also wasn’t a “clown” in a costume.  He was authentically crass, fierce and embittered.]

I believe this instance is a form of “whitewashing.” And, an Asian “nobody” would have befitted the role better, regardless of popularity or anticipated profits. I would pay to see better casting, to see an Asian beauty play this part. And, ever since I started watching films like “The Curse of the Golden Flower” and even “Rush Hour 2,” I think Hollywood can find a few. Or, maybe, such films should be made by people closer to the source material; and, if Americans are so lucky, the film will be dubbed into English, and they will learn to like it.

A “blockbuster” can never smell as sweet as it would with the right cast. Why do you think certain “franchises” got “reboots” so fast? If casting didn’t matter, why was there a reboot, anyway?

Years from now, people won’t look back and, when thinking of this blonde in a black Asian wig, say, “Gosh, she was so perfect for that role.” They WILL say, “Gosh, she sure made lots of movies.” The actress will be regarded like a Marilyn Monroe. And, only fans who concede to give up their cultural roots–including all Asian folks who try to look “American”–will not care who played what part and just be happy a film about that cartoon was made.

It doesn’t matter who is turning what characters into their own nationality. It’s Caucasian Americans and British folks, today. Tomorrow, it could be Mexicans or dark-skinned Africans altering Caucasian characters.

Some if not most movie makers are just too concerned with budget and ticket sales to consider the impact and value of proper casting (and story writing). I may be surprised to see a film pitched poorly play well. But, I will not be steered into accepting poor casting.

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